Category Archives: Infatuation Friday

06.21.2013

A Beautiful Mess. This is a photo-editing app created by Elsie and Emma, the makers of the A Beautiful Mess blog (which, if you follow me on Pinterest, you probably know I adore). The app allows you to crop and filter your photos, as well as add cute borders, doodles, text and more. The basic app comes pre-loaded with six different filters, fourteen border options, four font types, more than 20 doodles and 12 pre-written phrases. But if that’s not enough, plenty of additional options are available as in-app purchases. This app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. $0.99

Hannibal. This new NBC series has become a regular weekend night routine for Josh and me. (We have the series set to record every Thursday night.) Though I never saw any of the Hannibal movies and don’t get all the references, I love the show. The first season finale was yesterday, so if you didn’t catch the show, keep an eye on Netflix (or Hulu or Amazon prime or whatever else you might watch). Word of warning: Don’t watch it while you’re eating or if you’re easily grossed out.

Supernatural. I sat down with Josh when he was halfway through the second episode of season one of Supernatural. We’ve been hooked since (though, Josh has probably actually been hooked since episode one). We watch reruns on Netflix almost every night (I limit it to one episode because I get awful, vivid dreams about the supernatural without the show’s help) and finished season two earlier this week. So. Intense.

Arrested Development. This is another show Josh and I have started watching together. I think we’re in season two now (it’s so hard to keep up when we watch on the Roku), and still loving it. I laugh the hardest at Josh’s reactions to the show (particularly his reactions to Jason Bateman’s facial expressions). Just a few days ago, he laughed so hard at one part of a scene, that he missed the entire next scene. So, yeah, we’re kind of loving this show.

Vibram. I bought my first pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes a couple of months ago, and I am in love. They are super comfy (like, barefoot comfy) and don’t take long to get used to at all. They’ve become my go-to shoe (usually, they beat out flip-flops) this summer. The only downside is that, since I don’t wear socks with them, they have started to stink. Josh has been having this problem too (on a worse level, since he’s had his Vibrams longer), so we’re going to test out some tricks I found to de-funk our shoes.

Happier. The idea behind Happier is that writing down at least three positive thoughts per day will make you feel happier. Makes sense, since it forces you to think happy thoughts in those few moments. You can also add photos to your happy moments, “smile” at others’ happy moments (by clicking a smiley face button–the equivalent of a Facebook like) or literally smile at others’ happy moments via photo. You can use Happier either through a browser or by downloading the app. The app is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. FREE

The Matrix. I don’t watch a lot of movies. Josh is a huge movie buff, so when we started dating, it took him awhile to get used to my lack of movie knowledge. (In fact, I had never seen Titanic until I watched it in IMAX 3D last April.) Now, he gets to choose a good portion of the movies we watch (otherwise it’d be a lot of Princess Bride, Corpse Bride and Seinfeld reruns–I’m not very movie-venturous). That also means that for the first time in my life, I’ve watched the first two Matrix movies. I finally understand all the references from the past decade!

Draw Something 2. This time last year, I was completely addicted to Draw Something but was forced to quit playing when the majority of my friends lost interest. Now, I’ve picked up the drawing game again, but this time it’s improved. With Draw Something 2, I’m not completely dependent upon other friends to play the game, though it’s nice to get the chance to play the game with people I know and earn in-game currency (I totally recommend linking to Facebook for this purpose). The new version offers daily draws and daily guesses, giving players the opportunity to earn increasing amount of coins and stars each day. They can use the coins and stars to purchase more colors or new drawing tools, which the new version features more of. Draw Something 2 also includes the addition of a chat feature, which allows users to chat with one another in game. Draw Something 2 is offered as a free app (with ads, of course) or as a paid app (with less ads, I’m guessing) and is available for Android devices as well as for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. FREE – $2.99

Facebook Hashtags. Facebook announced last week that it would start supporting hashtags this month. The new feature won’t be fully functional for the next few weeks, but I can assure you that plenty of people will have already begun #hashtagging #every #word #they #post. (I’m looking at you, Instagram.)

Instagram Video. In other tech news, Instagram introduced video to the popular photo-editing and -sharing app this week. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the new feature, especially since the video I recorded spent an hour processing before I gave up and closed the app. Also, there’s already Vine.

Blur It. This app is pretty simple, but really helpful. It lets you blur parts of photos that you don’t want people to see. (It’s great for blurring out personal info before posting photos online–you can see how I’ve used it here and here.) The developers are offering the paid version free right now because of problems with the free version. Available in iTunes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. FREE.

Camera+. I down-loaded Camera+ while I was in San Antonio. My boss told me he uses Camera+ to edit his photos (in the same way you’d use Photoshop to make your photos look more real). So I tried downloaded it, and I’m totally loving it. I can snap pictures from in the app or pull photos from my camera roll into the app’s lightbox for editing. Once I start editing, I can adjust lighting; rotate and flip the photo; crop it; add color, fading and distorting effects and add borders. Once I’ve finished editing, I can save the photo to my camera roll or share it on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. It’s not an all-encompassing photo-editing app, but for 99 cents, it does the trick. Available in iTunes for iPhone 5 or iPad. $0.99.

Movie Madness. I don’t go to the theaters often (too pricey!) but I may make a few trips there in the coming months. Lots of great movies are scheduled to hit theaters in the next six months, like Scary Movie 5 (April) and Kickass 2 (September). Super excited!

Solitaire Blitz. My bestie told me about Solitaire Blitz yesterday. I’ve downloaded it but haven’t had a chance to play. It seems the game offers several twists on the original solitaire, with timed games, cute characters and other options included. Available in iTunes for iPhone and iPad. FREE.

3D Little Mermaid. My bestie told me yesterday that The Little Mermaid is set to hit theaters in September… and in 3D! When I was searching for confirmation, I found a Huffington Post report from January stating that the showing had been cancelled. (That seems to be the consensus from other sites as well.) I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that it happens anyway.

Whitagram. This is another photo-editing app that I love. (I’m not sure how I didn’t know about it before last week.) You upload a photo to the app, and it will give rectangular photos a square white background. This is perfect for people who want to add photos to Instagram without cropping out parts of the photo. (See some of my examples here and here.) Available in iTunes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. FREE.

App Advice.This website offers news, guides, reviews, updates and more on popular iTunes apps. My favorite part: Each week, the website features a list of paid apps available for free download. An App Advice app is available in iTunes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. $1.99.

Infused Booze. I used to think infusing alcohol is kind of weird (mostly because my vodka-soaked gummy bears tasted like rubbing alcohol last summer), but I’m on board now. A few weeks ago, I had the chance to taste a couple of different flavors: pineapple-infused vodka (just, yes) and strawberry-, pineapple- and jalapeno-infused silver tequila (it was… different, but I’m glad I tried it). I’ve been seeing ideas for others too, like Peep-infused vodka. Huh. If you try it, let me know how that goes.

03.17.2013

3D Priniting. This technology seems to be really taking off. I remember first reading about it when I was given an assignment to write a news summary about 3D lunar habitat a couple of months ago. Then a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a video of a 3D printing pen on our website and my mind was blown. Then I saw a couple of neat articles about more ways 3D printing is being used. Wired reported on a 3D printed car, and Mashable reported on some 3D printed football cleats from Nike. What. Even.

Breaking Bad. This is pretty old (I intended to feature it in i.f. two weeks ago) but still pretty worth sharing. People reported on February 26 that some clothes fom Breaking Bad we’re dropped off at a New Mexico shelter, which sold the clothes at its thrift store to benefit the shelter. So cool!

94 Seconds. My new favorite game is 94 Seconds. My best friend told me about it a couple of weeks ago, when the relax upgrade was available for free, but I forgot to download the game until last weekend. It’s still fun; the only difference between my version and hers is she has relax mode (it’s not timed) and I don’t. The relax upgrade is no longer free. When playing the game, you are given a category (musical instrument, U.S. state, clothing, etc.) and a letter. You are supposed to type a word that fits in the category and starts with the letter you are given. You have 94 seconds to figure out as many words as possible. Available in iTunes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and in Google Play for Android. FREE.

iFunny. My sister’s fiancé tells me I’m behind the times because I just discovered iFunny. I’m that loser who saves all the photos that I think are hilarious. Available in iTunes for the iPhone and iPad and in Google Play for Android. FREE.

The Fluffington Post. I am totally in love with The Fluffington Post! It’s an adorable news-style site that is just so perfect for brightening your day. (If found it in the April issue of Ladies’ Home Journal.) Click through for great headlines like “Puppy finds stick, doesn’t know how to proceed.”

Tina Fey. I am completely in love with LHJ’s interview with Tina Fey. I adore the stories she told about her daughter, and the anecdotes from Lily Tomlin were just fantastic. Definitely go pick up a copy of the April issue of Ladies’ Home Journal if for no other reason than to read the interview.

Here Comes the Boom. Josh likes MMA, so it was a no-brainer that we’d watch Here Comes the Boom. It was kind of cheesy, but I still liked it. (Side note: The music teacher reminds me of one of my former teachers. Ha!) I recommend it.

Vine. I’m finally on board with Vine. I’ve set up an account, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. If you want to follow me, my username is arbama. (I don’t think there’s any way to find me other than through the app, so no links for now.)

Squish Face Dogs. This is another gem from LHJ. Check out Squish Face Dogs for your daily dose of doggy cuteness.